NaLu: Just Experiments

CHAPTER 26: Portrait of the Past

(Natsu's POV)

A memory comes to me of the first time Lucy and I kissed. The wind was in our hair. I remember the feeling of her lips pressed into mine. We were free and happy. Nothing else seemed to exist except us. It was sweet and good. After a few seconds of reminiscing, I come back to the present.
I'm kissing Lucy. I've wanted to do this for so long, but this wasn't exactly how I imagined it. Especially after what just happened. Well, I don't really know what happened to me. It was like I had no control over my body. My whole being was screaming no, but my body kept moving. I tried to warn her, to tell her I wasn't in control, but my tongue wasn't working either. I bet this has something to do with that pill.
I slowly open my eyes only to become lost in hers. She's scared, but she's not pushing me away either. I feel rough hands grab me and rip me off of her, breaking our kiss. I see Lucy touch her lips gently, shocked. "Lucy that wasn't-" I try to explain only to feel a hand go over my mouth. No! She has to know that wasn't me! I struggle in vain as three guards work together to push me through the door.
I bite the guards hand that's covering my mouth, and he pulls it back just long enough for me to yell, "Lucy! You need to remember! Just remember!" The hand goes back over my mouth, and my head is shoved through the door.
When the door swings closed, the hand comes off my mouth. "Oh I see. So I can't talk when I have something to say, but you'll let me talk all I want when I don't have something to say," I complain sarcastically to the guards. They don't respond. Fine. I cross my arms. Play your stupid game. I don't need to talk to you anyway.
We keep walking through a maze of doors and halls, cages and labs, and experiments and guards. This is all I know. This may be all I ever know. We turn down a long hall that I've never seen before with a wooden double door at the end. "What is this place?" I ask, even though I know they won't answer.
     When we reach the door, my heart is pounding. I know what this place is. It's Zayn's office. The door opens, and I stumble into a world of fine leather couches, fancy wine glasses with an H engraved on them, and large paintings with mahogany frames. I look around while my bare feet rub the expensive rug under me. My eyes widen when I see a portrait of Zayn, his father, another man, and a baby.
     The two men are standing and shaking hands, smiling. Zayn is in front of them, holding the baby and grinning. He's very young, probably only four or five. The baby looks about one or so. Did Zayn have a sibling? Then who's the other man?
     "Fascinating," a voice says, "Tell me, do you know who's in that portrait?" I spin around to see Zayn lounging in a large recliner with a glass of some kind of drink. Judging by the way it smells, it's some kind of liqueur. "What do you want with me?" I ask, irritated. "Tsk tsk, you didn't answer the question," Zayn takes a sip from his glass.
     I feel a pain start in my stomach and slowly expand to each part of my body. Like a balloon that's being blown up, I feel the pain grow more intense. I fall to my knees, clutching my stomach. Soon the pain lessens and starts to diminish. I look up to see Zayn looking on, serene as ever. "Now, let's try this again. Do you know who's in that portrait?" he asks calmly.
     Fearing to be put through that pain again, I answer, "I know it's you and your father, but I don't know who you are holding or who the other man is." "Hmmmm," Zayn responds, "don't you recognize her? Try looking at her eyes. I find them to be her most amazing feature."
     I give Zayn a confused look and turn back to the picture. I stare at the baby and her eyes. She has beautiful brown eyes that glisten in the light. She wears a white and pink frilly dress with lace roses. I can see a few blonde hairs on her head and there's a long locket around her neck. I squint my eyes to see the locket and find a cursive L written on it.
Oh my..... The realization hits me harder than a hit to the face. It's...."Lucy." I mutter. "Oh I'm glad you figured it out. It would have been so much less fun if I had to tell you." Zayn says behind me. "You knew Lucy when she was a baby?" I face him, shocked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, our fathers were very close. That's who the other man is." Zayn says, gesturing back to the picture, "I was rather fond of her when she was a little girl. She was truly, very pretty, even as a child. I remember the day that picture was taken. My father had come to me and asked who I wanted to be modified to be my wife. It was the day I chose Lucy." I look at the picture again, unable to process all this information.
"Wait, is this the day Lucy was brought to the Indigo Project?" I ask. "Yes, actually. Our fathers had just finished discussing all their plans. Lucy was to join the Indigo Project, complete her genetic growth, have her memories modified to keep her on our side, and then join our families in marriage with me." Zayn walks over to the painting and stares at it thoughtfully.
"Is that why you chose her?" I ask. "I chose her for a number of reasons. She was pretty, the right age, pleasing to my father, very wealthy, and a marriage joining the Heartfilia and Highmore fortunes would bring both families billions more dollars and acres of land." Zayn walks over to a table and gives himself a refill, "Not to mention she has a nice personality too. In my opinion, she was the best choice I could possibly have made."
I frown at him, unhappy, "But you don't love her." Zayn chuckles, "Honestly, I wasn't really looking for love. I wanted a pretty face, decent personality, and enough money to please my father. She would also need to be able to produce a male heir to inherit the fortune. I think love is a bonus. In the words of my father, 'A wife is just a slave that shares a bed with her master'."
I clench my fists irritated, "But you don't love her. You just want her for her money. What kind of relationship is that going to build?" Zayn thinks for a moment and replies casually, "I do admit, I am certainly not in love with her the way you are. I know that there is something in between us, but it is definitely not a love quite like what you read in fairy tales. If anything, I view her almost as a master views it's dog or a man views a young child. There is affection, but different then what a boyfriend feels for his girlfriend."
"I want to always have her be there if I call, be a comfort to me when I am lonely, and never leave my side." Zayn thinks. "It sounds like you need a dog." I cross my arms, "You plan on using her for your whole lives. You want her money and an heir. You want someone to come when you call, lay at your feet, and stay on a leash. Lucy is not a pet you can just take advantage of and manipulate."
Zayn just wants a human pet who can give him money and an heir. He thinks Lucy will be his slave. Disgusting. If only Lucy would just remember who he is. Zayn grunts, "It doesn't really matter, does it? If I make a mistake, I'll just erase it from her memory. Face it, I have an infinite number of chances at a relationship with Lucy. If I don't get it the first time, I'll just try again." I grit my teeth, "We will get her to remember us. You can't stop us."
"Actually, I can. Lucy's memories are coming along nicely. You gave her an extra little push when you scared her." Zayn grins. "Hey, I had no control over my-" I stop myself, and step back. How did he know? There are no screens in here he could have watched it on, and none of the guards told him on the walkie talkie while we were walking here. "It was you." I mutter, "You controlled me. You used that pill to force me to scare her."
Zayn walks back to his chair and sits down, "Guilty. Sorry, but at the moment you were the biggest obstacle standing in my way. Of course, you kissing her was not part of my plan. Oh well, I'll just erase it." I look down, angry that he plans on removing the one good moment in this whole mess. He probably caused the pain I felt at the beginning of our talk too. "Why are you telling me this anyway?" I ask. "Well, to be honest I was just going to let you know it was me controlling you. However, seeing you stare at that portrait spawned a conversation that amused me." Zayn responds.
"I saw no threat in answering your questions, so we were able to have a discussion. Oh, I also wanted to inform you that your owner will be here tomorrow morning to pick you up." Zayn walks back to the table and sets his glass down. "What? I'm leaving tomorrow!?" I ask, terrified. "Relax. It's not like you would have missed much. Experiment 2 and 3, or Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster, will be picked up two days from now, Experiment 5, or Wendy Dragneel, will be transferred to a different room with other experiments, and all the Exceeds will be shipped to their new owners." Zayn says, looking at paperwork.
     "What about Lucy?" I ask, scared of what he might say. "Oh Lucy? She will be joining me in a limo to go home to her childhood house, the Heartfilia mansion. I think she is ready to see her father again and live the life she was meant to lead. You should be happy for her. She's going home to a nice house, happy father, and loving fiancé." Zayn folds his hands and stares at me, a small smile on his lips. "When are you leaving?" I ask, feeling like the world might fall apart. Zayn replies calmly, "This afternoon."

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Hello everybody!!!!
MY BOOK GOT 500 VIEWS!!! I'm soooo happy! And it's all thanks to you guys! So thank you! I'm very happy I was given this opportunity, and I'm so blessed that I even have this love for writing. The book is almost over! I think it will end somewhere around 30 chapters, so be prepared! Thank you all so much! I think I'm gonna end with a cliff hanger. Also, I have a surprise for you guys. I HAVE DECIDED THE TITLE OF THE SEQUEL. I SAID IT TWICE IN THIS CHAPTER. I want to see what your guesses are, so please comment what you think the title is. I wrote it two times in this chapter. Good luck!!
-Blondie4243